Green Design

[musha]

Hi all

 

i am an Architectural draughtsman. i like to learn about Green design. is anyone know where i can find information about Green Design?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Musha

[Strix]

which country are you in musha?

[ReMark]

If you're in the UK then Green Building magazine is a good source of information.

 

http://www.ukgbc.co.uk/

[Strix]

... and there will be lots of companies with plenty of info at the homebuilding and renovating show next month - at the NEC - links on NEC website

[musha]

i am from Sri Lanka and i work for an Architectural consultancy. in Sri Lanka the Green design is not much popular. may be its because of we are still developing country. but i have a keen interst to learn more about Green Design and its international standard.

 

Thank you all of you reply to me. hope you will help me to learn more about green design... as you all know that Sri Lanka is a green country and i like to make our buildings to more green design.

 

Thanks again

[ReMark]

Sri Lanka? Nice. Then Google the following just as it appears:

 

"sri lanka"+"green design"

 

Check out some of the "hits" you get.

[Strix]

green design will vary greatly from country to country, as we require different functions from our homes thanks to different climates and building regulations

 

for instance, heating has become a major concern in the UK, so insulation is greater than it ever has been before, new products are available such as plastic bottles recycled into fleece to line the loft, replacing the fibre glass we've been using up to now, thermal mass of a building is considered (with some houses taking all summer to heat their thermal mass materials, then they release that heat back all winter), and solar and wind power are increasingly being harnessed for power generation

 

you've picked a massive subject area!

 

What are the typical considerations when building in Sri Lanka?

[musha]

Sri Lanka is near to the equator so we dont get any different in climates changes. also we dont do any insulated walls. some times we do insulation for the ware houses roof insulation to prevent insulation. mostly for the walls we use burn clay tiles and cement block. most of the houses they use asbestos roofing sheet. but now a days we dont allow our clients to use asbestos and we ask them to go for roof tiles.

[Noahma]

Sri Lanka is near to the equator so we dont get any different in climates changes. also we dont do any insulated walls. some times we do insulation for the ware houses roof insulation to prevent insulation. mostly for the walls we use burn clay tiles and cement block. most of the houses they use asbestos roofing sheet. but now a days we dont allow our clients to use asbestos and we ask them to go for roof tiles.

 

 

Sounds like things are already pretty "green" Nothing more than using what the earth has to provide for your walls. Look into Solar since the suns intensity is pretty high at the equator, it would be a prime candidate for powering homes. It seems that cooling would be a problem for the homes, and there are several ways to combat that. Here in Colorado Evaporative coolers are used in combination with whole house fans and produce a very inexpensive way to keep your home cool, the drawbacks for using down there would be humidity. They work by putting humidity in the air, our climate is very dry so it works very well.

[PS_Port]

Musha,

 

You guys would get some heavy monsoonal rain, so cross ventilation would be a good way to keep things cool. Get things off the ground with lots of air moving above and below the building.

 

Also look at building orientation to maximise the seasonal movement of the sun as it tilts off its axis from summer to winter. (I'm not sure about the variation near the equator.)

 

Utilize shading structures for summer (blocking/shading is cheaper than air-conditioning).

 

Lots of stuff on the web...green is the future...I hope.

[musha]

Thanks a lot Noahma and Ps_Port for your suggestion. yeah most of them in Sri Lanka we use earth bricks for the wall. But the danger part is we use river sand for the cements sand motor. So huge amount of sand mine from the river and it effect the environment badly. Not only is that Sri Lanka a beautiful country but not a rich country. Most of the vehicles here they use diesel powered vehicle so the air pollution is more in most of the cities.

 

Yes Noahma solar power is a better choice to our country but its quiet expensive in our country. Most of the rich people they use solar power to heat the water.

 

Ps_Port we do most of our building with cross ventilation and natural lighting but the interior we have to maintenance is required because of the dust and smoke. That’s why I also very keen to learn more about GREEN building to keep my country more green…. I thank all my friends Strix, ReMark, Noahma and PS_Port once again to replying me, sharing ideas and sending me some useful web link regarding Green building.

[ReMark]

What other natural resouces does Sri Lanka have at its disposal for use in green construction?